Golf club head



B. CLEMENTS GOLF CLUB HEAD Oct. 10, 1961 Filed Aug. 14, 1959 Ben Clements INVENTOR.

United States Patent f) 3,003,768 GOLF CLUB HEAD Ben Clements, 227 Zeta St., Ravenna, Ohio Filed Aug. 14, 1959, Ser. No. 833,796 4 Claims. (Cl. 273-175) The present'invention relates to a structurally and functionally improved head for a golf club, for example, a head which is such in shape, size and contour that it may s be properly classified as a chipper.

More specifically, and keeping in mind the broad and :-general use of the club head for making chip shots, the head is expressly designed and constructed for more satisfactory and reliable use when the golf ball to be struck resides, as it were, in a sand trap or a more difiicult hazard; namely, a water hole. In encountering such hazards as mentioned, not to include those shots which are to be made from the rough, only the real golfer, the expert, would be able to efiectually cope with the same. Although the club head herein under advisement might perhaps he adopted by professional and equivalent golfers I cut down resistance in that they. constitute not only air holes'but "water ports. 'At the bottom or substantially so there is an elongated slot and the purpose of this slot is to permit the passage therethrough of sand thus cutting down resistance to the motion of the club when swung through the sand to get at the ball.

It is also within the purview of the concept to provide a slight bevel or declivity at the bottom of the face below the sand slot to assist in the step of striking and driving the sole portion of the club through the sand and scooping the sand into the slot for greater efiiciency in utilizing the slot. Furthermore, the loss of weight because of the presence or" holes and slots in the head may be compensated for by adding weight on the back of the club .head particularly at the bottom for better balancing the club head during the swinging stroke.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying illustrative but not restrictive drawing.

In the drawing wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

FIG. 1 is a front or face elevation of the improved club head.

H6. 2 is a view of the reverse or rear side which may be called the back of the club head.

Fl 3 is a section on the irregular line 3-3 of HG.

' 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 1 in a direction say from left to right.

Referring now to the views of the drawing it will be evident from FIGS. 1 and 2 that in terms of generalities the over-all marginal outline or appearance of the club head is not to be changed. Since the club head is to be used in lieu of the presently employed chippers it should be evident that its size, weight and the loft of the face of the club will be of, let us say, customary form, at least from a standpoint of appearance. Of course, the appearance is changed to the extent that the improvements herein employed vary the appearance for the front and back surfaces will no longer be imperforate or solid. As

.. already mentioned the median as Well as the upper half Patented Oct. 10, 1961 portion of the club will be provided with a multiplicity of holes which may be called orifices or ports and these are denoted by the numeral 6. The holes may be in uniform rows or for that matter they could be irregularly staggered because after all they serve to promote circulation of air and water therethrough. The holes are not involved in the improved use of the face 8 in a sand trap. Of course, they may promote circultion of air and permit dry particles of sand to pass and discharge therethrough. For use in a sand trap the feature is the elongated slot 10 which will be called a sand slot. The part of the face or surface below the slot is preferably sloped forwardly and downwardly as at 12 to provide a sand pick-up or scooping bevel or declivity. Also, at the junctureof the sole potion 14 and the declivity 12 avshaped knife-like edge 16 is provided and this may be described as a toe. Thus there is a sole portion 14 and a toe portion 16 merging into a declivity 12 which in turn cooperates with the sand discharge slot it On the rear side or surface 13 and at the bottom a V-shaped rib 26 provides added weight and may be distinguished as the heel of the club head. The remainder of the back surface will be not too unusual except that at the top the gradual thinning in cross-section as at 22 may have to be compensated for by making the body portion of the club 24 sufficiently thick in cross-section to compensate for loss of weight by reason of the presence of the ports or orifices 6 and the sand slot. The slot and holes constitute the principal changes featuring the club head and the other added features, the toe 16, weight adding heel 20 and declivity 12 are contributing factors, it being evident that additively considered these expedients make for cumulative refinements and distinctions.

As is generally the case with any tool, implement or club, experience will prove to be the best teacher as to the best mode of use. In any event it is submitted that the average user will find this improved structurally distinct club head not only an excellent chipper but a special purpose club for acceptable use in Water holes and sand traps and in fact in other areas as tall grass and the rough in general.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An improved golf club head for use in constructing a sand wedge comprising a horizontally elongated onepiece body which is generally ovate in both front and rear elevation, said body having longitudinal top and bottom edges, a heel at one transverse end provided with a hosel to accommodate a handle, and a rounded toe at the outer transverse end, said body also having a front face and a rear face, the major upper median and lower lengthwise portion of said front face slanting downwardly and forwardly and providing a loft corresponding to that commonly utilized in a sand wedge, the lengthwise bottom portion embodying a sloping declivity disposed at an obtuse angle relative to the slanting front face and being commensurate in length with the length of the body, said declivity having a lower leading edge merging into and cooperating with the bottom edge, said declivity being planar and defining a sand pickup surface and said leading edge being knife-like and constituting a lip, the lower median portion of said body at the lengthwise top of said declivity being provided with a relatively Wide horizontally elongated single slot opening through the front and rear faces of the body and constituting a sand discharging and relief slot, said slot being of a length substantially commensurate with the length of said body and also of a length greater than the diameter of a golf ball.

.2. The structure defined .in claim 1, and wher i 1,116 lower part of the rear face of'said body is provided with a single horizontal lon itndinally extending rib of a length commensurate with the length of the body, said rib being V-shaped in cross-section with the horizontal vertex pro jecting .rearwardlybeyond said rear face and defining an providing Weight and compensating for the weight lost as a result of the formation of the aforementioned slot in said body, the aforementioned lip being flush with said bottom edge and said bottom edge constituting the sole portion, said lip bein in a plane parallel with and below the plane of the vertex of said rib, and the entire heel being in a plane below the plane of the bottom of said slot.

3. The structure defined in claim 1, and wherein the lower part of the rear face of said body is provided with a horizontal longitudinally extending rib of a length commensurate with the over-all length of the body, said rib being V-shaped in cross-section with the horizontal vertex projecting rearwardly and contributing to the desired over-all weight of the head and also compensating for the weight lost as a result of the formation of the aforementioned slot in said body, the aforementioned lip being flush with the bottom edge and said bottom edge constituting a sole portion, said lip being in a plane below the plane of the vertex of said rib, and the entire rib being parallel to and disposed in a plane below the plane of section of said body increasing progressively from the top edge to the very bottom of said body.

4. A golf club head for a sand wedge or chipper embodyinga solid plate-like body having upper and lower lengthwise edges, a heel at an inner end provided with a hosel to accommodate a handle, and a rounded toe at the opposite outer end, the front iace of said body having the usual slope imparted to a sand wedge having a conventional loft, said lower edge providing arsole portion, the lower part of said body below the lengthwise center thereof being provided with an elongated sand slot, said slot being substantially commensurate length with thelength f th dy ng re at v ly id and pie len h e p eci b y g e than t e amet of hs andri sel ball, holes in vthe pp and. m d an nqr sns 9 h on and above the ppe e hwi edse'qf sa s o tha n tion of the front of the face of the body below the jldwer edge of said slot 'sloping forwardly and downwardly and providing an elongated ideclivity, said declivity being of a lengt mm n ra i the n h of the fil W d'bQi pitched at an angle obtuse to the Slant of the aforement n d of a d .a ong n r 9n th ea t se said rib being of a length equal to the length ofthe of the body on which it is embodied, servingto add va pre- -,scribed amount of weight to the over-all body, thP QlfQS S- section of said rib corresponding to the width of aid 'declivity whereby the-rib is in a plane below the lower lengthwise edge of the slot.

References Cited in-the file-of this patent UN TED STATES PATENTS mm ay 2 

